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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Lions' Matthew Stafford close to setting passing record

By Marc SesslerAround the League Writer

Matthew Stafford has the chance to make a little history on Sunday.The Detroit Lions quarterback tied Drew Brees' record with his fourth consecutive 350-yard passing game in a win over the St. Louis Rams in Week 1. Stafford would become the first signal-caller in NFL history to make it five straight with a big day against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday."That's cool, I guess," Stafford told the Detroit Free Press (sounding unintrigued with this discussion). "Not something I set out to do five games ago, but it's obviously a cool thing. But winning, that's the coolest thing for me. Who knows what the stats will look like this week? Nobody does, but hopefully we can do whatever we need to do to get a win."It won't be as easy against the 49ers as it was against the Rams. San Francisco's defense is arguably the NFL's most physical unit, but Stafford came close against this group last season with a 293-yard, two-touchdown day in Week 6.Brees set the mark last season, and if Stafford doesn't top it, someone else will. These once-storied passing records will be seen differently as the league continues to evolve into a pass-happy maze of yardage through the sky.